Sewing and darning machine



A ril 17, 1934. c. R. SPENCER 1,955,689

SEWING AND DARNING MACHINE Filed March 28, 1932 '7 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR CZi Jpe/wer BY MM ATTORNEY April 17, 1934. c, R, SPENCER SEWING AND DARNING' MACHINE Filed March 28, 1932 T Sheets-Sheet 2 f 6 M A0. A C

- -W 7 M w April 17, 1934. c SPENCER 1,955,689

SEWING AND DARNING MACHINE Filed March 28, 1932 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR .39 GR. 650621062" BY MW ATTORNEY April 17, 1934. c SPENCER 1,955,689

SEWING AND DARNIN'G MACHINE Filed March 28, 1932 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 /02 03 INVENTOR CIR. Spencer" ATTORNEY A ril 17, 1934. c. R. SPENCER 1,955,689

SEWING AND DARNING MACHINE Filed March 28, 1932 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR 613. (Spencer ATTQRNEY April 17, 1934. c. R. SPENCER SEWING AND DARNING MACHINE Filed March 28, 1952 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR Cjlfipezwer ATTORNEY April 17, 1934. c R, SPENCER I 1,955,689

SEWING AND DARNING MACHINE Filed March 28, 1932 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 5/0 wi L 6 INVENTOR 617i. Ji /we?" BY m ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 17, 1934 UNITED STATES SEWING AND DARNING MACHINE Charles R.

Spencer, Atlanta, Ga, assignor to Tcmlinson F. Johnson, Atlanta, Ga.

Application March 28,

21 Claims.

This invention relates to sewing machines and, among other objects, aims to provide novel mechanism for producing either straight or zigzag stitches, so that the machine may be used for sewing, darning and joining heavy or thick fabrics. The main idea is to provide automatic means to feed heavy cloth in a zigzag path, While a plurality of stitches are made in each run. Also, the invention contemplates manual means to control the pitch and the direction of the zigzag stitching, the arrangement being such that two or more overlapping rows of stitching may be made over the same area. Further, the idea involves a new type of feeder foot capable. of feeding heavy cloth or fabric in several different directions.

Other aims and advantages of the invention will appear in the specification when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a machine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the head; Fig. 3 is an elevation similar to Fig. 2 drawn on an enlarged scale and showing the end cover plate removed, some of the parts being shown in section Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view on the line 55 in Fig. 1, being drawn on the same scale as Fig. 3 and showing some of the parts in different positions;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 66 in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7-7 in Fig. 5, the parts being set for straight stitching;

Fig. 8 is a detail plan view showing the operating links and levers in Fig. '7 set for zigzag stitching;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 99 in Fig. 5;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken on the line 1010 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 11 is a bottom plan view of the feeder foot;

Fig. 12 is a sectional view taken on the line 12-12 in Fig. 9, the links and levers shown being set for straight stitching;

Fig. 13 is a view similar to Fig. 12 but showing the links and levers set for zi zag stitching;

Fig. 14 is a sectional view taken on the line 1414 in Fig. 12;

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary detail view of some of the mechanism shown in Fig. 12;

1932, Serial No. 601,643

Figs. 16 and 17 are developed views of two cams which actuate the feeder foot for zigzag stitching;

Fig. 18 is a diagrammatic view of zigzag stitching produced by the cams shown in Figs. 16 and 17; and

Fig. 19 is a view of a piece of cloth or fabric showing some of the stitching made by the machine and indicating diagrammatically the relative positions of the manual control lever.

Referring particularly to the drawings, the illustrated machine was specially designed to sew, splice or join, and darn press cloths used in hydraulic cottonseed oil mills. However, it is to be understood that such machines are capable ofmany other uses. Ordinary press cloths are usually made of human hair to withstand the heat and great strain. The fabric is soon partially clogged with meal which hardens.- Some of the Warp and weft yarns break under strain or wear, leaving holes or torn places which require darning before they can be used again. Since the cloths are quite expensive, they are darned several times before they are discarded. Heretofore this Work has been done by hand, as many as three workmen being required to darn the cloths for one mill. The cloths are difiicult to darn because of their thickness, toughness and hardness. Twisted hair yarn is used and the best darning is done by zigzag stitching across the tear or rip, several stitches being made in each run. In some cases two rows of such stitches are required to make the torn place sufl'iciently strong. Furthermore, it is often necessary to join two or more good short pieces of torn cloths to make a good cloth and strong zigzag stitching is required to produce good butt or lap joints. The present machine is capable of doing such work, in addition to straight stitching, in a small fraction of the time required to do it by hand.

The illustrated mechanism is driven by a main shaft 20 having ball bearings 21 in the usual type of machine arm 22 (Figs. 1 and 6). The power is delivered by an electric motor (not shown) having a suitable foot operated rheostat. The end of the arm 22 is removably secured to a cast metal housing 23 forming the head and the main shaft 20 is connected to drive a cam shaft or drive shaft 24 within the head by means of bevel gears 25. All of the mechanism for imparting properly timed movements to the needle bar and presser foot is driven by this shaft. The

Adjacent to the crank disk 26 is a cam 29 which actuates a presser bar 30 by means of a roller 31 on a crank pin 32 (Figs. 3 and 9). The lower end of bar 30 is swivelly connected to the upper end of a rectangular or non-circular bar 33 conveniently by a threaded extension 34 and adjusting nut 35. The bar 33 is slidably mounted in an adjusting sleeve 36 which extends through the bottom Wall of the housing (Fig. 9). A noncircular leg 37 is shown as being pivotally connected at 38 to the lower end of the bar 33 within the guiding slot in sleeve 36 and a special presser and feeder foot 39 is connected by a pivot pin 40 to the lower end of the leg. The lower end of the sleeve 36 has a slot 41 to permit the leg to swing back and forth as the presser foot reciprocates vertically. The adjusting sleeve is confined in its opening in the lower wall of the head by a set collar 42 on its upper end, the connection being such that the sleeve may be rotated or angularly adjusted to change the direction of feeding movement of the foot. In Fig. '7 two different angular positions of the foot are shown in dotted lines.

The combined presser and feeder foot 39 has a wide needle slot or bifurcation 43 and is shown as being substantially rectangular. Several rows of vertical prongs 44 in the foot are adapted to pierce the fabric or cloth and provide a positive grip so as to feed the cloth in any direction. A cloth stripper 45 in the form of a flanged frame having front and rear curved horns 46 is slidably mounted on the foot and is normally urged to its cloth-stripping position by leaf springs 47 on the upper face of the foot (Fig. 5). The stripping or downward movement of the plate is conveniently limited by a series of screw heads 48 acting as stop-shoulders abutting the upper face of the foot at the edges (Figs. 4 and 9). It will be understood that the prongs are released or stripped automatically from the cloth as the foot rises. When the needle bar rises, upon making a stitch, the raised foot is moved fore or aft by the mechanism, about to be described, and again descends to its cloth-gripping position ready to impart another feeding movement to the cloth as the needle bar descends.

Feeding movement is imparted to the foot for making straight stitching by means of a cam 49 on the shaft 24 adjacent to a hanger bearing 50. This cam is connected to the foot by a system of links and levers. In this instance, the cam oscillates a lever 51 pivoted at its upper end to the hanger. A link 52 is connected to the lower end of the lever 51 by a ball and socket joint 53. The other end of the link 52 is shown as having an open slot or socket 54 (Figs. 7, 8 and 10) removably engaging a ball end 55 on a lever 56. Lever 56 is adjustably pivoted in a removable sleeve 57 by a pivot pin 58 extending through one of a series of registering holes 59 in the lever and the sleeve (Figs. 5 and 10). Herein, the lever is rectangular in cross-section and has a wider rectangular guiding opening in the sleeve to permit the maximum swinging movement imparted to the lever (Fig. 5).

The lower end of lever 56 is connected to the rear end of a foot-operating link 60 by a ball and socket joint 61. The forward end of the link is pivoted at 62 to a collar 63 slipped over a slotted, cylindrical boss 64 on the foot to which leg 37 is pivoted. In Fig. 4, the collar is shown as having diametrically opposite openings alined with the openings for the pivot pin 40 so that the pivot pin may be utilized to hold the collar assembled on the boss by projecting into the openings. A spring metal sleeve or guard 65 is adapted to be slipped over and removably locked on the collar to prevent the pivot pin from working out. The link 60 is preferably made of two threaded sections so that its length may be varied by an adjusting nut 66. The idea is to adjust the foot to engage the cloth directly below the needle bar and to prevent the needle from striking the foot at the rear end of the needle slot.

The straight stitching cam 49 is so timed that it imparts rearward swinging or feeding move ment to the foot when the foot engages the cloth and while the needle bar is up. The foot is held in gripping and feeding engagement during its movement by a bow spring 67 preferably arranged between the upper wall of the housing and a flange 68 on the presser bar 30. Since the prongs 40 pierce the work, the pressure exerted by the spring may be only a few pounds or slightly greater than the releasing pressure exerted by the leaf springs 47 on the stripper 45. Thus, the power required to grip and feed heavy cloth or fabric is reduced to a minimum.

'The foot feeding mechanism for producing zigzag stitching utilizes some of the links and levers which operate the foot for making straight stitching. The arrangement is such that the operating connections between the cam 49 and the foot may be rendered inoperative and automatic feeding mechanism for zigzag stitching engaged in lieu thereof. In this example, the mechanism for feeding the cloth in a zigzag path is operated by a compound cam wheel or drum 69 having an anti-friction bearing on a rear extension of shaft 24. This cam Wheel is shown as having an internal ring gear '70 driven by the shaft 24 through reduction gearing '71, '72 and 73 (Fig. 5).

The gear ratio between the shaft and the cam wheel is determined by the total number of stitches or feeding movements to be imparted back and forth in one zigzag path. Assuming that five stitches are to be made in each straight run of zigzag stitching or ten stitches back and forth for each revolution of the cam wheel, the gear ratio must be 10 to l. The outer periphery of the cam wheel has a zigzag cam groove 74 shaped to impart ten feeding movements to the foot, five movements on each run. In Figs. 2, 3 and 16, five cam faces '75 are shown at one side of the groove and five cam faces '76 at the opposite side. This cam imparts horizontal reciprocating movement to a bar 7'? mounted in a guide 2 bracket 78 on the rear wall of the head below the cam wheel. A roller 79 on the bar projects into the cam groove. A link 80 is pivoted at 81 to the bar '77 and projects into the head 23 through an opening 82. This link has a notch 83 (Figs. 7, 8 and 10) at its other end like the notch 54 in link 52 to engage the ball 55 on lever 56. The construction is such that either link may be shifted laterally into engagement with the lever.

Referring to Fig. 10, the shiftable links 52 and 80 are connected by a spacing and shifting bar 84 pivoted to their ends. This bar has an upstanding pin 85 which is remcvably engaged by a slotted block 86 on the inner end of a plunger 8'7 extending through a tubular sleeve 88 in the removable end Wall or cover plate 89 of the head, the arrangement being such that, when the Wall is lifted off the head for repairs, the parts will be disengaged. The plunger has an operating button 90 and is held in its two shifted its positions by a spring urged ball 91 engaging spaced notches 92 (see Fig. 10). Thus, it is only necessary to push or pull the plunger to change the feeding mechanism. When either link is connected to the lever 56, the other link will reciprocate idly and oscillate the shifting bar 84 Without interfering with the actuation of the lever. This is a very important feature of the mechanism because it enables the plunger to be shifted quickly so that straight stitching may be made between torn places and converted into zigzag stitching without stopping the machine.

When the zigzag feeding cam is connected to the foot, it is necessary to shift the foot automatically on its vertical axis, first, at a slight angle in one direction, relative to its straight feeding position, to impart five feeding movements to the cloth in that direction and, next, at an equal and opposite angle relative to the straight position to impart the same number of feeding movements in the reverse direction and, on the next run of zigzag stitching. (See the dotted angular positions of the foot in Fig. '7.) The extent of the alternate angular movements of the foot are dependent upon the desired pitch angle of the zigzag stitching. To do this automatically at the proper times, a cam 93 formed on the inner face or web of the cam wheel 69 is connected to impart oscillating movements to the guiding sleeve 36 above the foot (Figs. 3, 5, 12, 13 and 17).

Referring to Figs. 3, 12 and 13, the cam 93 actuates a plunger 94 telescoped in a tubular section 95 which has a roller 96 in the path of the high part of the cam. A compression spring 97 is interposed between the plunger and the bottom of the sleeve to permit limited telescoping movement. The plunger is shown as being urged toward the cam by another spring 98 acting one. small offset plunger bar 99 carried by the sleeve. The inner end of the plunger bar 94 is pivotally connected by a pin 100 to a lever bar 101 intermediate its ends and the lower end of the lever is pivotally connected to an arm 102, which in turn is connected by a loose ball and socket joint 103 (Fig. 7) to a radial arm 104 projecting from the collar 42 secured on guide sleeve 36.

Referring to Figs. 12 to 15, inclusive, the lever 101 is adjacent to and parallel with the wall 89 of the head. A vertical guide slot 105 is cut in the wall adjacent to this lever. A floating fulcrum in the form of a block 106 having an open channel 107 slidably engages the lever 101. This block is pivotally connected by a screw bolt 108 to a cross-head 109 guided in the slot 105 and formed integral with a cover plate 110 over the outside of the slot. A control lever 111 having a handle 112 is pivoted at 113 to the wall 89 and carries a pivoted key 114 working in a transverse slot 115 in the cover plate 110 so that when the lever is shifted, the key which moves with it in an arcuate path is free to slide in its slot 115 while it moves the cross-head vertically in guide slot 105 (Figs. 2, 6, 14 and 15). Thus, the control lever 111 is arranged to move the fulcrum block 106 up or down so that the fulcrum point is shifted above or below the pivot pin 100 of lever 101. In this example, the control lever is adapted to be set and held in any one of five positions by means of a spring urged ball 118 (Figs. 9 and 14) which shape into holes or' depressions a, b, c. d and e. In the positions a or b, the lever holds the fulcrum above the pivot 100 and in positions d or e, the lever holds the fulcrum below the pivot.

When the fulcrum is above the pivot 100, the

feeding movement imparted by the foot is from left to right as the zigzag stitching progresses, when the lever is below its central position, the feeding movement is reversed or from right to left. In Fig. 13, the lever has been shifted to a point e. The positions of the fulcrum determine the pitch of the zigzag stitching or the angularity of the foot. Thus, the pitch angle may be varied at will.

The fulcrum block 106 is designed to lock and hold the lever 101 in its vertical position when the control lever is in its horizontal position or at the point 0. The foot is set for straight stitching when the parts are in this position (Figs. 12 and 15). A setting and holding plate 117 for the fulcrum block is shown in Figs. 14 and 15. It is confined to slide horizontally in a recess 118 in the inner face of the wall 89 and has a flange 119 adapted to engage one side of the fulcrum block 106. This plate is conveniently held in its recess by a bolt or screw 120 which passes through a horizontal slot 121. The back edge of the plate is shown in Fig. 15 as being cut to provide a central cam 122 so that a pin 123 on the control lever 111 extending through an arcuate slot 124 in wall 89 acts on the cam to force the flange 119 of the plate firmly against the straight edge of the block. The force exerted on the cam edge by the pin is sufficient to move the foot from an angular position to its straight position while the machine is running. When the lever 111 is in its lower (or upper) position, as shown in Fig. 13, the locking plate 117 is free to move to the right because the pin 123 is out of contact with the cam 122 (see the dotted position in Fig. 13).. The-fulcrum block 106 is thus freed to oscillate and thereby permits the lever 101 to be oscillated. When the lever 111 is moved to its horizontal position for straight stitching, as shown in Figs. 12 and 15, the pin 123 engages cam 122 and forces the locking block 117 to the left, causing the back flange 119 to. crowd against the fulcrum b1ock106 so that the fulcrum block and the lever 101 are locked in their vertical position. 7

When the lever 101 is held vertically for straight stitching as shown in Figs. 12, 14 and 15, the cam-operated plunger section 94 is held stationary. The sleeve section 95 is still reciprocated by the cam 93. This relative telescoping movement of the sleeve section is limited to approximately half the throw of the cam by a. pin 125 in the plunger 94 passing through a short longitudinal slot 126 in the sleeve (Fig. 14) Hence, the roller 96 never touches the low part of the cam 93 while the parts are in position for straight stitching. When the control lever is shifted in either direction from the central position and the pin 123 carried by it passes the high part of the cam edge 122 on the locking plate, the spring 98 urges the sectional plunger to the right so that the roller 96 will contact with the low part of the cam 93 (Fig. 13) After the fulcrum block pivot is shifted above or below the pivot pin 100 of lever 101, thespring 98 acts through the sleeve section 95 and plunger bar 94 to pull lever 101 toward the cam Wheel or to the right about the shifted axis of the fulcrum block, assuming that the roller is acting on the low part of the cam. Whilethis is happening. the pin 125 on the bar 94 engages the forward end of the slot. Thus, the pin and slot connection serves, in conjunction with the spring 98 to shift the foot automatically to: one side of its straight position after the control lever 111 is shifted. If the high part of cam 93 happens to be in engagement with the roller 96 when the control lever is at station 0, the spring 97 will be compressed. Then upon shifting control lever 111, this spring acts on plunger 94 through lever 101 to shift the foot to the other side.

When the control or reversing lever 111 is below the central position at either of the stations d or e, the lateral movement imparted to the cloth is from right toleft as the zigzag feeding continues. The pitch angle of the zigzag stitching is greater when the lever is set at :1 because the distance from the pivot pin 100 to the axis of the fulcrum is less. By shifting the lever 111 to station a or b, the direction of the lateral feed is reversed or from left to right. In any of these positions, the zigzag feeding cam 74 imparts five feeding movements to the foot in one angular direction; and then, the foot is automatically shifted to the opposite angular position by the footshifting cam 93 as one of the points p or p1 passes the plunger roller 96 (see the dotted outline in Fig. 17), after which five more feeding movements are imparted in the opposite direction by one or the other set of cam faces or 76. The relative positions of the cams '74 and 93 with respect to their cam rollers, are represented in Figs. 16 and 17 to show that the foot is shifted angularly and the feeding movement is reversed simultaneously and automatically for every five stitches.

In Fig. 18, the zigzag stitching shown is made by feeding the cloth in the directions indicated by the arrows. The stitches S1S5 were made as stitch cam station C1C5 passed the cam roller '79 and the foot shifting cam roller 96 was on the low part of cam 93. At the end of this run of five stitches the relative positions of cam roliers 79 and 96 are shown in Figs. 16 and 17. At that time the needle bar is going down to the apex of the first zigzag and the foot on its way up ready to shift angularly at the top of its movement as point 72 passes roller 96. Then, stitches S6S10 are made as stitch cam stations C6-C10 pass cam roller '79 and while the high part of cam 93 acts on cam roller 96. These operations are repeated while the cloth is fed continuously in one lateral direction-downwardly as viewed in Fig. 18until the reversing lever 111 is shifted to the opposite side of its central position or station 0.

When the zigzag stitching over a torn place is completed, the machine may be stopped and the foot raised by an ordinary lifting lever 126 on top of the head connected by a crank disk 12'! to a lifting bar 128 having a flange 129 engaging the flange 68 of the bar 30. While the foot is held up, the thread may be cut and the cloth shifted to another position so as to be fed in either lateral direction and make zigzag stitching over another torn place. Also, the foot may be lowered and the control lever 111 set at station 0 to make a row of straight stitching from one hole to another where the distance is quite short. In some cases, it is not desirable to stop the machine. The control lever may be shifted to do straight stitching from one hole to another and again shifted to do zigzag stitching over the other hole. The straight stitches are relatively short so that it is easy to stop the straight stitching at about the proper point and convert the stitching into zigzag stitches.

It is desirable to be able to set the zigzag stitch cam at any of the stations C1C10 to start the zigzag stitching in the right zigzag path. For this purpose, the outer face of the cam wheel 69 1 may have appropriate station markings indicating to the operator at a glance the number of stitches to be made before an apex of the zigzag stitching is reached. The shaft 24 projects through the bearing for the cam wheel and has a hand wheel 130 suitably secured to it so that the operator can stand behind the head and turn the hand wheel to bring the cam wheel to any desired starting position. Moreover, he can operate the machine by hand to make a few stitches, as very little power is required to impart the proper working and feeding pressure to the foot.

Referring to Fig. 19, a press cloth X is there shown as having a butt joint, the sections being joined by a zigzag row of stitching A. To make this row of zigzag stitching, the direction of feed of the cloth is indicated by the arrow. At the top of the figure, it will be noted that the control lever 111 was set at lower station e. When the joint was completed, the control lever 111 was shifted to its central position or station 0 to make the straight run of stitches B while the cloth was fed in the direction of the arrow below this run until the stitching reached a point adjacent to the end of the torn place T. Then, the lever was shifted to the upper station a to start another run of zigzag stitching C, while the cloth was fed in the direction of the arrow at the left of this run of stitching. Assuming that one row of zigzag stitching was insufficient to darn the badly torn place, the lever was reversed by moving it again to the station e so as to make an overlapping row of stitching D on the stitching C. This zigzag stitching was made as the cloth was fed in the direction indicated by the dotted arrow and, when the torn place was completely darned by the two rows of zigzag stitching, the lever was again shifted to its central position to make some more straight stitching toward another place.

It will be understood that the illustrated stitching is merely for the purpose of indicating the character of work which the machine is capable of doing. No attempt has been made to show zigzag stitching of the two different pitches or to indicate different lengths of stitches. It will be recalled that the setting of the lever 111 controls the pitch angle of the zigzag stitching and the position of the pivot pin 58 in the presser foot lever 56 determines the length of the stitches. When the pin 58 is in one of the lower holes 59, the length of the stitches will be shorter. This applies to either the straight stitches or the zigzag stitches.

Obviously, the machine is capable of imparting a plurality of feeding movements to the cloth both fore and aft when the feeder-foot is held in its straight feeding position. If the cloth is not shifted angularly by hand, the fore and aft rows of stitching will be made in the same path. At the end of each run, both fore and aft, the cloth may be shifted angularly so as to make manually controlled zigzag stitching over an irregular torn place in the goods. Assuming that the angular foot-shifting mechanism is employed and the control lever 111 is set in its neutral position at station 0 or that the foot is permanently constrained to oscillate in its straight feeding position, the multiple-throw cam 74 may be connected at will to impart the fore and aft straight feeding movements by pushing the plunger 87 to its inner position, thereby rendering the ordinary, continuous, straight feeding cam 49 inactive. Thus, it is possible to make zigzag stitching of any pitch that may be desirable for darning very irregular torn places. It

is contemplated that sdme machines of this type will be built without any mechanism for shifting the feeder-foot, especially for use in small mills, or in case the .demand for zigzag stitchin is not very great.-

It is not necessary in this application to describe the details of the yarn feeding mechanism for the machine as it constitutes no part of the invention pertaining to the foot feeding and control mechanism. t is sufficient here to state that the mechanism is somewhat similar to that used in ordinary sewing machines. It is best shown in the face View in Fig. l, the yarn being numbered 131.

From the foregoing description, it will be understood that the machine is capable of making a variety of stitches and of doing the work that heretofore has had to be done by hand on heavy cloths. It is contemplated that it may be employed for making both butt and lap joints in fabric or canvas and rubber belting and heavy cloths or fabrics of all kinds. Furthermore, it is especially useful for darning nearly all kinds OI heavy fabrics where strength is essential. It

' will be observed that the mechanism is relatively simple, considering the complexity of the operations of the machine. There are few parts which are subjected to excessive wear. It has antifriction bearings for the main rotating parts to reduce the power required to operate it.

Obviously, the present invention is not restricted to the particular embodiment thereof herein shown and described. Moreover, it is not indispensable that all the features of the invention be used conjointly, since they may be employed advantageously in various combinations and sub-combinations.

What is claimed is:

1. In a sewing and darning machine, a head, stitching mechanism including an angularly adjustable feeder foot and a vertical needle bar carried by the head; a cam connected to impart straight feeding movement to the foot for making straight stitching; manually operable means for moving the foot to an angularly adjusted position; a multiple-throw cam connected to impart a plurality of feeding movements to the foot in one direction and a plurality of feeding movements in another direction; a separate cam associated with said multiple-throw cam opier-i atively connected to the foot and timed to shift the foot automatically and successively to its opposite angular positions as the direction of feed is automatically reversed to enable the machine to make zigzag stitching having a plurality of stitches in each run; and manually operable means associated with the cam driving connections to the foot to enable either of said footfeeding cam to operate the foot and to render idle the feeding connections to the other cam, the foot-feeding connections including a common oscillating member operable by either cam.

2. In a sewing and darning machine of the character described, a head carrying a needle bar and an angularly adjustable feeder foot; mechanism in the head connected to impart straight cloth-feeding movements to the foot; a multiple-throw cam connected to automatical- 1y impart a series of feeding movements to the footTfirst, in one direction and, then, in another direction; shifting mechanism operatively connected to the foot and timed automatically to change the angular positionof the foot when'the direction of feed is reversed so as to feed the cloth laterally in a zigzag path; and manually operable control means common to both footfeeding mechanisms to render one of them operative and the other inoperative, whereby the type of stitching may be varied while the machine is running.

3. In a sewing and darning machine, a vertically reciprocating needle bar; an angularly adjustable feeder foot mounted for pivotal step-bystep movements in vertical planes and having provision tofeed cloth in any direction; and mechanism connected to automatically impart zigzag, cloth-feeding movement to the foot in straight paths, so that a plurality of stitches are made in the runs from each apex of the zigzag path to the other apex.

4. In a sewing and darning machine, a vertically reciprocating needle; an angularly adjustable feeder-foot mounted for pivotal step-bystep movements in vertical planes and having provision to feed cloth in any direction; mechanism connected to automatically impart zigzag cloth-feeding movement to the foot in straight paths so that a plurality of stitches are made in the runs from each apex of the zigzag path to the other apex; and manual means connected to the foot-operating mechanism to reverse the direction of feed while the machine is running,-

whereby to make overlapping rows of zigzag stitching.

5. In a sewing and darning machine, a vertically reciprocating needle bar; an angularly adjustable feeder foot having provision to feed cloth in any direction; mechanism connected to automatically impart zigzag, cloth-feeding movement to the foot in straight paths, so that a plurality of stitches are made in the runs from each apex of the zigzag path to the other apex; and a reversing lever connected to the zigzag feeding mechanism to reverse the feeding movement of the foot whereby the cloth may be fed laterally in either direction on any straight run.

6. In a sewing and darning machine, a vertically reciprocating needle bar; an angularly adjustable feeder foot having provision to feed cloth in any direction; and mechanism connected to automatically impart zigzag, cloth-feeding movement to the foot, 'so that a plurality of stitches are made in the runs from each apex of the zigzag path to the other apex, said foot actuating mechanism including a cam operatively connected to the foot to automatically shift it angularly when the cloth-feeding movement is reversed.

'7. In a sewing and darning machine of the character described, a head carrying a needle bar and an angularly adjustable feeder foot; mechanism in the head connected to impart straight cloth-feeding movements to the foot; a multiple-throw cam connected to automatically impart a series of feeding movements to the foot, first, in one direction and, then, in another direction; shifting mechanism operatively connected to the foot and timed automatically to change the angular position of the foot when the direction of feed is reversed so as to feed the cloth laterally in a zigzag path; a manually operable lever connected to the foot-shifting mechanism to set the foot in its initial angular position and to control the direction of feed; and manually operable means common to both foot-feeding mechanisms to render one of them operative and the other inoperative, whereby the type of stitchingmay be varied while the machine is running. v

8. In a sewing and darning machine of the character described, a head carrying a needle bar and an angularly adjustable feeder foo-t; mechanism in the head connected to impart straight cloth-feeding movements to the foot; a multiple-throw cam connected to automatically impart a series of feeding movements to the foot, first, in one direction and, then, in another direction; shifting mechanism operatively connected tothe foot and'timed automatically to change the angular position of the foot when the direction of feed is reversed so as to feed the cloth laterally in a zigzag path; manually operable means common to both foot-feeding mechanisms to render one of them operative and the other inoperative, whereby the type of stitching may be varied while the machine is running; a manual lever operatively connected to the footshifting mechanism to set the foot in any of a series of angular positions and thereby control the direction of the zigzag feeding movement; and means operable by the lever to set and hold the foot in its straight feeding position when the lever is set in an intermediate position.

9. In a sewing and darning machine, a vertically reciprocating needle bar; an angularly adjustable feeder-foot having provision to feed cloth in any direction; cam-operated means connected to automatically shift the foot angularly; manually operable means connected to vary and reverse the angular position of the foot; and a multiple-throw cam connected toautomatically impart a plurality of feeding movements to the foot, first, in one direction and, then, in another direction, as the foot is shifted angularly.

10. In a sewing and darning machine of the character described, a head carrying a vertical needle bar; a pronged feeder-foot adapted to feed cloth in any direction; a non-circular leg carrying the feeder-foot; a guiding sleeve having a noncircular opening rotatably mounted in the lower portion of the head to maintain the foot in its angularly adjusted positions; a multiple-throw cam connected to automatically impart a series of feeding movements to the foot, first, in one direction and, then, in another direction; a second cam operatively connected to said guiding sleeve and arranged to automatically shift the foot angularly when the direction of feed is reversed, so as to feed the cloth laterally in a zigzag path; and manual means connected to the foot-shifting mechanism arranged initially to set the foot in any predetermined angular position and thereby control the direction of feed.

11. In a sewing and darning machine having a vertically reciprocating needle bar; an angularly adjustable feeder-foot having prongs adapted to engage and feed cloth in any direction; a cloth stripper member associated with the foot; a sleeve member providing a guide for the foot and having means to constrain the foot to o-scillate in any angular direction; a multiple -throw cam connected to automatically impart a series of feeding movements to the foot, first, in one direction and, then, in another direction; footshifting mechanism operatively connected to said guiding sleeve for the foot and timed automatically to change the angular position of the foot when the direction of feed is reversed by said multiplethrow cam so as to feed the cloth laterally in a zigzag path; means associated with the footfeeding mechanism connected to vary the length of the feeding movement imparted by the foot so as to change the length of the stitches produced; and a hand lever operatively connected to said foot-shifting mechanism to reverse the direction of feed and to vary the angular movement of the foot whereby to enable the machine to make zigzag stitching of different pitches and to make overlapping rows of zigzag stitching over the same area.

12. In a machine of the character described, a head carrying a vertically reciprocating needle bar; an angularly adjustable feeder-foot having an oscillatable non-circular leg pivoted to the presser bar and to the foot; a guiding sleeve rotatably mounted in the lower portion of the head and having a non-circular guide opening to constrain the foot to oscillate in any angular direction; means connected to impart a plurality of feeding movements to the foot, first, in one direction and, then, in another direction; cam means operatively connected to said guide sleeve to automatically shift the angular position of the foot as the feeding movement is reversed; and manual means initially to set the foot in a predetermined angular position so that the machine will make zigzag stitching of a predetermined pitch as the feeding movement progresses automatically, said means including mechanism to reverse the direction of the feeding movement so that overlapping zigzag stitching may be made over the same area.

13. In a machine for making zigzag stitching, a head carrying a vertically reciprocating needle bar; a combined presser and feeder-foot having means to pierce the fabric and feed it in any direction; a stripper member associated with the foot to automatically disengage the fabric therefrom as the foot is raised; an oscillatable leg pivotally connected to the presser bar and to the foot to permit oscillating movement of the foot; a guiding sleeve for the presser bar and said oscillating leg connected to constrain the foot to oscillate in any angular direction; means connected to impart oscillating feeding movements to the foot; and cam means connected to automatically shift the angular position of the foot after a predetermined number of stitches have been made in any direction.

i l; In a sewing and darning machine, a head; a vertically reciprocating needle bar carried by the head; a combined presser and feeder-foot having means to pierce fabric; an oscillatable leg connected to the foot; a guiding member to constrain the foot to oscillate in any angular position; a foot-feeding cam connected to impart straight feeding movement to the foot for making straight stitching; a multiple-throw cam; a reciprocating plunger operatively connected to the multiplethrow cam adapted to be connected at will to the foot-feeding mechanism and arranged to impart feeding movements to the foot, first, in one direction and, then, in another direction; foot-shifting mechanism connected to said guiding means for the foot to automatically shift the angular position of the foot as the feeding movement is reversed; a single hand lever carrying a shiftable fulcrum associated with the foot-shifting mechanism manually to shift and set the foot in any predetermined angular position; means associated with the shiftable fulcrum connected to lock the foot-shifting mechanism so as to hold the foot in its straight line stitching position; and common manually operable means connected to render idle the foot-feeding connections between one of the foot-operating cams and to effect an operating connection to the other of said foot-feeding cams.

15. In a sewing and darning machine of the character described, ahead carrying a vertically reciprocating needle bar; a combined presser and feeder-foot having an oscillatable leg pivotally connected thereto; means connected to guide the feeder-foot to oscillate in any angular direction; a foot-operating cam in the head; a system of links and levers connecting said cam to oscillate the foot and impart straight feeding movement thereto; a second cam Wheel having a multiplethrow cam; foot-feeding mechanism driven by said multiple-throw cam and arranged to be connected at will to operate the foot independently of said first named cam so as to impart a series of feeding movements, first, in one direction and, then, in another direction; a second cam carried by the cam wheel operatively connected to automatically shift the foot angularly as its feeding movement is reversed, said connections including a substantially vertical lever operatively connected to the guiding means for the foot; a hand lever carrying a shiftable fulcrum block slidably mounted on the foot-shifting lever to positions on opposite sides of its pivotal axis and adapted to set the foot in any predetermined angular position; a locking plate slidably mounted in one wall of the head adjacent to the fulcrum block; a cam on one edge of the locking plate; a pin carried by the hand lever cooperating with the cam to shift the locking plate into abutting and locking contact with the fulcrum block when the hand lever is moved to shift the foot to its straight stitch feeding position, the cam operating mechanism for automatically shifting the foot having telescoping and spring connections permitting it to operate idly While the foot-shifting lever is held in its locked position by said locking plate; and common manually operable means to effect the operating connections between the foot and either the straight stitch feeding cam or said multiple-throw cam.

16. In a sewing and darning machine having a vertically reciprocating needle bar, a combined presser and feeder foot; a plurality of pointed prongs carried by the foot to pierce the fabric; a spring urged stripper plate slidably mounted on the foot automatically to strip the fabric from the prongs as the foot is raised; and operating mechanism for the foot connected to impart feeding movement thereto in any one of several different angular directions.

17. In a sewing and darning machine, a combined presser and feeder-foot having provision to be set in any one of several different angular positions; cloth-piercing prongs on the foot; a

cloth stripper member associated with the foot; and a pair of associated cams connected to impart zigzag cloth-feeding movements to the foot.

18. In a machine of the class described, an angularly adjustable presser and feeder-foot; a spring urged cloth stripper on the lower face of the foot; manually controlled, cam-operated mechanism connected to impart zigzag feeding movements in straight paths to the cloth when the foot is initially set or adjusted in any of several angular positions; and means to reverse the angularity of the foot automatically after the last stitch is made in each straight path.

19. In a machine of the class described, a combined presser and feeder-foot adapted to be angularly adjusted to impart feeding movements in several directions; positive cloth-engaging means on the foot; a spring urged cloth stripper mounted on the foot; cam means connected to reverse the angular position of the foot and camoperated means connected to impart zigzag feeding movements to the foot in opposite directions when the foot is initially set in any angular position.

20. In a machine of the class described, a combined presser and feeder-foot adapted to be angularly adjusted to impart feeding movements in several directions; positive cloth-engaging means on the foot; a spring urged cloth stripper mounted on the foot; cam-operated means connected to impart zigzag feeding movement to the foot when set in any of its angular positions; and manual means connected to reverse the angularity of the foot and simultaneously to control the direction of feeding movement imparted to the cloth.

21. In a sewing and darning machine of the class described, an angularly adjustable presser and feeder-foot; manually operable means connected initially to set the foot in an adjusted position; means to impart a plurality of feeding movements to the foot, first, in one direction and, then, in another direction; coacting automatic means to shift the foot angularly after the last feeding movement is imparted in either direction so as to make a row of zigzag stitching; and means to confine the-foot so that it imparts feeding movements back and forth in the same path whereby an irregular row of zigzag stitching may be made by shifting the cloth manually.

C. R. SPENCER. 

